first
44 ENTRIES FOUND:
- first (adjective)
- first (adverb)
- first (noun)
- first (pronoun)
- first–class (adjective)
- first–degree (adjective)
- first–line (adjective)
- first–rate (adjective)
- first–run (adjective)
- first–string (adjective)
- first–time (adjective)
- first aid (noun)
- first base (noun)
- first baseman (noun)
- first class (noun)
- first cousin (noun)
- first down (noun)
- first edition (noun)
- first family (noun)
- first floor (noun)
- first lady (noun)
- first lieutenant (noun)
- first light (noun)
- first name (noun)
- first offender (noun)
- first person (noun)
- first strike (noun)
- first world (noun)
- blush (noun)
- come (verb)
- equal (noun)
- flush (noun)
- foremost (adverb)
- glance (noun)
- hand (noun)
- instance (noun)
- kit (noun)
- know (verb)
- last (adverb)
- place (noun)
- refusal (noun)
- serve (verb)
- sight (noun)
- thing (noun)
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
1
:
coming before all others in time, order, or importance
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She won first prize.
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We sat in the first row.
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his first wife
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her first book/child
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in the first century
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his first offense
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her first kiss
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She succeeded on her first attempt/try.
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He was (the) first in line.
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We will correct these errors at the first opportunity. [=as soon as it is possible to do so]
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English is not my first [=native] language. [=it is not the language I learned first; I learned to speak another language before I learned to speak English]
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She's in first grade. [=the first level in school after kindergarten]
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I still remember the first time I saw her.
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You should leave at the first [=earliest] hint of trouble.
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My first [=initial] impulse was to say no.
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This is a matter of the first [=highest] importance.
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Your first [=main] concern should be to get well.
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the captain and the first mate [=the officer on a ship who is most important after the captain]
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She was accused of murder in the first degree. [=first-degree murder; the most serious kind of murder]
2
— used to refer to the lowest forward gear or speed of a vehicle
-
I couldn't get the car out of first gear.
3
:
having or playing the main part in a group of instruments
at first blush
or at first glance also at first sight
:
when first seen or considered
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At first blush, the proposal seems ridiculous.
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It appears at first glance/sight to be a simple matter of hiring more people.
at first hand
first among equals
◊ A person who is first among equals is the leader of a group of people but is officially considered equal in rights and status to the other members of the group.
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As a director, he encourages collaboration and considers himself only (the) first among equals.
first thing
1
the first thing
:
anything at all
— used in negative statements
-
He doesn't know/understand the first thing about the problems we've been having.
2
:
before anything else
:
right away
:
very early
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I'll be back first thing (on) Monday morning.
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She promised to call first thing in the morning.
first things first
— used to say that you should do the things that are most important before doing other things
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I know you're eager to start shopping for a car, but first things first—you need to find out how much you can afford to spend.
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You must set priorities and learn how to put first things first.
in the first flush of
in the first instance
in the first place
love at first sight
2
first
/ˈfɚst/
adverb
2
first
/ˈfɚst/
adverb
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
1
a
:
before any other in time, order, or importance
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I have to pay him first.
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She finished first in the race. = She came in first in the race. = (Brit) She came first in the race.
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You go first.
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He said it first.
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These problems are not as simple as they first appear.
b
:
for the first time
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I loved her when I first saw her.
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We met first at a party. = We first met at a party.
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This word was first recorded in the 19th century.
c
:
before doing other things
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We'll get started soon, but first we have to make sure everyone is here.
2
— used to introduce a statement that is the first in a series of statements
— often used in the phrases first of all and first off
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First, let me explain my reasons for calling this meeting.
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I want to talk about several things in this meeting. First, the schedule. Second,…
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Let me explain, first of all, why I called this meeting.
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First off, there's some confusion we have to clear up.
come first
:
to be more important than other things
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My career is important, but my family comes first.
first and foremost
:
at the most basic level
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He is first and foremost [=primarily, fundamentally] a teacher.
first and last
:
at the most basic level
:
in all respects
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This is first and last a matter of national security.
first come, first served
or first come, first serve
— used to say that the people who arrive earliest get served or treated before the people who arrive later
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The campsites are first come, first served, so we'd better get there early. = The campsites are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, so we'd better get there early.
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“Aren't there any cookies left?” “Sorry—first come, first served.”
3
first
/ˈfɚst/
noun
plural
firsts
3
first
/ˈfɚst/
noun
plural
firsts
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
1
:
something that is first: such as
a
[count]
:
an occurrence, achievement, etc., that happens or exists before any other of that kind
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Her solo flight across the Atlantic was a remarkable first.
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They were responsible for several engineering firsts.
b
[noncount]
:
the position of the winner in a competition or contest
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He took first [=finished in first place] in the pie-eating contest.
c
[noncount]
:
the lowest forward gear or speed of a car, truck, etc.
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I couldn't get the car out of first.
d
[count]
:
a degree of the highest level from a British university
-
take/get a first in English
2
at first
:
when something first happens or begins to happen
:
when you first notice or consider something
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We didn't like each other at first. [=when we met]
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At first I thought she was crying, but then I realized she was actually laughing.
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The book bored me at first. [=initially]
from the first
:
from the beginning
-
I've loved her from the first.
4
first
/ˈfɚst/
pronoun
4
first
/ˈfɚst/
pronoun
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
1
:
the first one or ones
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They were among the first in line.
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It was the first of many delays.
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I'll be the first to admit when I've done something wrong.
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He was the first to arrive.
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She was born on the first of May. [=on May 1]
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The son of King Charles the First became King Charles the Second.
2
:
the first time
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She's not coming? Well, that's the first I've heard of it! [=I did not know that before now]
